November 26, 2014

Upper Cape Tech Holiday Craft Fair

So I did the Upper Cape Tech Holiday Craft Fair last weekend.  The view from the school is amazing. That's the Bourne Bridge and Buzzards Bay water tower.  I literally live 5 minutes away.

Another pic from inside the gazebo.

This is a killer mural inside the cafeteria where I was set up.

And my sad little table.  I absolutely hate my displays.   They look so lame.  Truthfully I don't like doing shows.  It takes a lot out of me.  I'm not good at self promotion and saying anything beyond, 'good morning.' Marsha was with me for Saturday and we had a great time....it's much easier to do a show with someone.  

The stage was right behind me and they had face painting and pics with Santa.

The fair was overwhelming.  It's absolutely HUGE and that was the one complaint I heard the most from both shoppers and other vendors.  A lot of lookers, not a lot of shoppers.  I did better than some of my vendor neighbours.  I marked down a lot of items to make them sell but that didn't help much.  The best part was seeing so many friends from high school, plus women from my bank and my college roomie Ellen & her son came down from New Bedford too!  I truly appreciate the support of my friends so much.  I made back my table fee and a modest profit, but I decided not to sign up for next year.  It's a lot of work and a long weekend.  I think I will just stick to the smaller venue, one-day shows like the Legion.

This is the sunset on Saturday 11/22, through the woods behind my house.


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16 comments:

  1. Jo7:55 AM

    Those sunset pix look like the woods are on fire. Sorry you found your table a bit of a waste of time. I never go to such things anyway.

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    1. JoJo8:18 AM

      I enjoy a good craft fair but this one has rooms and rooms full of vendors...the cafeteria, gym, horticulture dept, culinary, plus tables lining the hallways too. Kinda hard to compete with that many people, and of course everyone is on Pinterest so we're all doing the same crafts. But that's OK, I can say I participated in one of the biggest and oldest fairs in the area, now I can move on.

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  2. Anne Mackle10:23 AM

    Your table looks great. That's the problem when there are too many sellers they spend their money before they get to you. I'm just about to start doing some crafts myself now that I have more time.

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    1. JoJo3:42 PM

      Thank you Anne. I just think it looks kinda amateurish....everything's kind of low. I am wondering if I should start using some boxes covered with fabric to elevate some of my items. Well I only have one more show so I'm not going to kill myself over it now. But for next year I'll work on it. :)

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  3. Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com7:52 PM

    Give yourself credit, girlfriend! There's nothing sad about your display. It looks colorful and celebratory. Without advertising you made a profit, too! I'm glad you had a good time and saw old time friends -- a double bonus.

    Happy Thanksgiving, JoJo. xo

    PS Yes, I'm celebrating with George tonight, since I work tomorrow evening. =)

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    1. JoJo8:32 PM

      Thanks Robyn!!! Have a great Turkey Day too!!! Definitely the best part of the craft fairs is seeing my friends!

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  4. Liz9:57 PM

    We are always most critical of ourselves. I think your table looks wonderful. Lots of interesting things, very friendly and inviting! I would definitely stop and browse and I think I could get you to say more than just "good morning" :-)

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    1. JoJo7:23 AM

      Thank you Liz. :) It was exhausting though...being next to the line to see Santa, I had to deal with a lot of small children grabbing at things on my table. One mother made her sons turn out their pockets because of the way they were taking the free candy I had which was next to a lot of sparkly things that caught their attention too.

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  5. Dawn@Lighten Up!7:42 AM

    I think your displays and jewelry are lovely! :) Happy Thanksgiving!

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    1. JoJo11:30 AM

      Thank you Dawn! Happy Thanksgiving!!

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  6. Diane12:26 PM

    Maybe 'small is beautiful' when it comes to Craft fairs......

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  7. Anita9:07 PM

    Lovely pics and I love your table. Too much is too busy as far as I'm concerned. I always love tables that aren't over done, makes it easier too look for purchases. Hey, and my blog was playing up today......it wouldn't print the text I like to use!! Weird computers. lol.
    Cheers, Anita.

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    1. JoJo9:43 PM

      Thank you! :) I actually left quite a few items at home this year....stuff that didn't sell last year. There was just too much stuff on my table. There still is, but it's a lot less than before!!

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  8. Unknown1:44 PM

    I think your table looked GREAT! You are way too hard on yourself my dear friend. You make beautiful stuff and your table looked awesome and inviting. Always love seeing your pictures! ♥

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    1. JoJo3:32 PM

      Thanks Kathy, you are too kind. Well my table looks so childish compared to the other vendors who have these lovely and creative ways to display their waress.

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